The London-Laurel County Farmers Market hosted its second Arts & Eats at the Market of the year on October 2 — featuring live music, local food and artisan vendors.
Musician Jonathan New, who also performed at the September event, returned to provide the evening’s soundtrack while shoppers browsed vendor booths and enjoyed homestyle plates from The Kitchen, which served chicken and dumplings alongside blackberry sweet tea.
Among the market’s many artisans was Bent Pine Farm, known for its specialty cut flowers. Owner Jenny Storms described this as the bittersweet time of year when her summer blooms wind down.
“I call them my Hail Mary sunflowers,” she said. “I thought, ‘If they bloom, they bloom’ — and they’re going to bloom.”
Storms grows thousands of flowers each month, from marigolds and dahlias to eucalyptus and celosia, and keeps her work going year-round by drying and repurposing stems through the off-season.
“Every stem we produce gets used — if it’s not fresh, it’s dried,” she said. “I have a little shed full of dried flowers. It’s beautiful.”
Another favorite among marketgoers was Off the Hook by Rhonda, whose booth featured an array of crocheted figures — from spooky Halloween icons like Chucky, Terrifier, Jigsaw, and The Addams Family to pop-culture figures such as Ozzy Osbourne. Owner Rhonda McQueen also created a crocheted Colonel Sanders, a nod to the World Chicken Festival celebrated downtown last month.
Regulars such as Stegman Studios, Starlight Cookie Co., Well Butter My Biscuits, MDR Designs, Little Cottage Sourdough, Lindsey’s Bakehouse, and Thistle & Pine Company rounded out the market lineup, offering everything from baked goods and beverages to crafts and home decor.
For updates on future market events, visit the London-Laurel County Farmers Market’s Facebook page. Scheduled at this time is a Pre-Thanksgiving Sale on Nov. 25 and Christmas at the Market on Dec. 6.
